Teona Gubianuri* and Makashvili Malkhaz

Center for Psycho-Physiological Research, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia

*Corresponding Author: Teona Gubianuri, Researcher at the Center for Psycho-Physiological Research, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia.

Received: March 13, 2023; Published: April 03, 2023

Abstract

We report on the correlation of three parameters such as: the scores in Snake fear questionnaire, the amplitude of Galvanic skin response (GSR) and subjective evaluation of fear. 76 subjects of both sexes in total, mean age 26 fulfilled the Snake anxiety questionnaire (SNAQ) to calculate the snake fear scores.

Inclusion criteria: The range of scores between 19-21 pointing to the higher level of snake fear. Experimental paradigm included exposition of study participants to snake photographs (SP) with parallel registration of galvanic skin response. Snake photographs, 20 in total, were exposed one by one on computer screen. Participants were requested to evaluate the stimuli as either neutral or scary and put grades using scale 0-5: not scary at all - 0 and 5 - very scary. Android application program was used for the registration of galvanic skin response. SP were evaluated as not scary and mean score in SNAQ was 19.8 in 32.9% of participants. SP were evaluated as moderately scary and mean score in SNAQ was 20.03 in 40.8% of participants, and SP evaluation as very scary and mean score in SNAQ 19.9 was registered in 26.3% of participants. Higher amplitudes of GSR were registered in case, when SP were evaluated as very scary and grading was 4-5. Lower amplitudes of GSR were registered in case when stimuli were evaluated as either not scary, or moderately scary. No correlation of scores in SNAQ with self-reported evaluation of fear was found. Amplitudes of GSR (higher vs lower) did not correlate with scores in SNAQ as well. Higher/lower amplitudes of GSR correlated with evaluation of SP as very scary/not scary.

Conclusion: 1. The lower amplitudes of GSR are in correlation with subjective evaluation of SP as either not scary or moderately scary; 2. Higher amplitudes of galvanic skin response are in correlation with subjective evaluation of SP as very scary 3. High scores in SNAQ do not correlate neither with the amplitude (higher/lower) of GSR nor with the self-reports (not scary/scary) of fear.

 Keywords: Skin Galvanic Response; Questionnaire; Self Report; Snake Fear

References

1. Bradley MM., et al. “Emotion and motivation. I. Defensive and appetitive reactions in picture processing”. Emotion 1 (2001): 276-298.
2. Landová E., et al. “Venomous snakes elicit stronger fear than nonvenomous ones: Psychophysiological response to snake images”. PloS One8 (2020): e0236999.1-53.
3. Rádlová Silvie., et al. “Emotional Reaction to Fear- and Disgust-Evoking Snakes: Sensitivity and Propensity in Snake-Fearful Respondents”. Frontiers in Psychology31.28 (2020): 1-37.
4. Polák J., et al. “Fear the serpent: A psychometric study of snake phobia”. Psychiatry Research 242 (2016): 163-168.

Citation

Citation: Teona Gubianuri and Makashvili Malkhaz. “Correlation Between Skin Galvanic Response with Snake Photographs, Self-Assessment of Fear, and the Level of Natural Snake Fear”.Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 7.5 (2023): 07-08.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2023 Teona Gubianuri and Makashvili Malkhaz. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.